Coming home to a break-in is genuinely awful, and the worst version of it is the one where you don't know what to do next. There's a small window — the first 24 hours — where the right calls make the rest of the recovery much smoother: the insurance claim, the security upgrade, the sleeping-with-the-lights-on-for-a-week phase. This is the practical step-by-step.

We do the security side of this every week across Manchester and this is the version we wish every customer knew before they rang.

The first hour: don't go inside until it's safe

Before anything else:

If you think the burglary might still be in progress, or you're not sure, don't enter the house. Get to safety — a neighbour's, a car a few houses down — and call 999.
If you've come home, the door is forced and you can see they've clearly gone, you can call 101 (non-emergency police) instead. Police response to a confirmed past burglary in Manchester typically isn't immediate — usually they'll attend within a few hours or schedule a visit, sometimes the next day, depending on the case.
If you went inside before you noticed, get back out, somewhere visible and safe, and call from there.

Once it's confirmed clear:

Don't touch anything you don't have to. Police may want to dust for prints on the entry point and on any objects clearly handled. Take a photo of every room before you start tidying.
Take photos of the entry point — the forced door, the smashed window, anything visibly damaged. Phone camera is fine; multiple angles.
Make a quick list of what's obviously missing as you walk through. Don't go drawer-by-drawer yet; that comes later.

The contents claim and the property claim are slightly different paperwork; we'll come back to that.

The first three hours: securing the property

The single most important thing in the first three hours is making the house safe to leave tonight. If you stay elsewhere with a forced door, anyone walking past has a free run. If you stay in the house with the door un-secured, you don't sleep.

This is what an emergency locksmith does for you on a burglary call:

Boards up any smashed glazing in doors and windows. Proper screwed plywood, sized to the opening — not gaffer tape over the hole. This holds until your glazier comes to replace the glass.
Fits a new lock to the failed entry door immediately. If it's a uPVC door, that's a new 3-star anti-snap cylinder, possibly a new mechanism if the multipoint was snapped. If it's a wooden door, a new BS3621 mortice. So your insurance is current from day one.
Replaces every other external lock too — not just the entry one. Burglars sometimes take key sets. Insurance expects new locks on every external door after a forced entry. Doing it now is far cheaper than a separate second visit later.
Repairs or replaces the door where structurally damaged. Forced uPVC doors often have a damaged mechanism even when they look fine; see our uPVC door repair page for the typical fixes.
Documents everything for insurance: photos, written report, itemised invoice, lock certifications.

We treat burglary calls as priority across Manchester — typical response is 30–60 minutes day or night. Detail on the full process is on our burglary repairs page.

If you've called the police and they're attending, ring us straight away and let us know — we coordinate around their scene work so they can finish forensics before we touch the door.

The first six hours: contacting insurance

Most home insurance policies have a "notify us within 24/48 hours" clause. Call your insurer's claims line as soon as you reasonably can — usually a 24/7 number on your policy or insurer's website.

You'll typically be asked for:

A crime reference number from the police (101 will give you one even if they're not attending in person)
Approximate time of discovery
Method of entry — forced front door, smashed window, etc.
Initial list of damage and apparent loss — rough is fine at this stage
Whether the property has been secured

The insurer will usually open a claim and assign a claims handler. For straightforward burglaries they'll typically ask for documentation (which we provide on the property side) and won't send a loss adjuster in person; for larger losses they'll arrange a visit.

Keep all numbers and reference codes in one note on your phone. You'll be asked for them several times over the next two weeks.

The first 24 hours: the inventory

This is the part that takes longest and feels worst, but it's the part the insurer needs.

Go room by room. Make a list of:

Items taken — what, brand/model where you know it, approximate value, where it was kept
Items broken — same detail
Receipts, photos, serial numbers for anything significant. Insurers ask for these and most of us have lost them, but check phone photos, manufacturer apps, registration emails. Bank statements going back help for big purchases.

Don't try to be exhaustive in one sitting. The big items first; smaller items you'll remember over a few days. Most insurers allow you to add to the list within the first 14–30 days of the claim.

Tip we hear from claims handlers: be honest. Inflating a contents claim is the fastest way to have the whole claim questioned. Underclaiming costs you money but doesn't risk the claim. Take the time, list what was actually there.

The next few days: what to fix in what order

Day 2–3:

Glass replacement — your glazier comes to replace anything we boarded up. The boards stay safe until then; no rush.
Door replacement if a door was damaged beyond repair (rare; most are fixable). If you're not sure, get a second opinion before committing to a £1,000 door.
Contents to be replaced that you actually need now — phone, laptop, work essentials. Keep receipts; insurance reimburses against them.

Week 1–2:

Insurance loss adjuster visit if scheduled. They'll want to see the entry point (so keep photos of how it was, since by then it's repaired) and may ask follow-up questions.
Final contents list submitted.
Crime reference number confirmed in writing.

Beyond:

Security review. This is the conversation we have a week later when you've slept and the immediate panic is gone. What would have made this harder for them — anti-snap cylinders on every door, sash-jammers, a doorbell camera, secondary nightlatch on the back, a sensor light on the side path. Not pressure-sell. Most people only want a couple of upgrades. We're happy to advise without pushing.

What to do for yourself

This part isn't on most locksmith blogs and it should be.

The first night is hard. Stay with someone if you can, or have someone come over. Sleeping alone in a freshly-burgled house is a particular kind of awful that gets easier with company.
It's normal to feel violated, even though no one was home and no one touched you. The reaction is real and it usually fades over a few weeks.
Talk to neighbours. Most people who've been burgled are surprised how many neighbours have a story — recent or old. Not a comfort exactly, but it puts it in context.
Victim Support (free, confidential, UK-wide) offer practical and emotional support after burglary. 0808 1689 111 or victimsupport.org.uk. They're useful especially in the second week, when the practical noise has died down but the unease is still there.

What's specific about Manchester

A few things worth knowing locally:

GMP (Greater Manchester Police) typically issue a crime reference number immediately through 101 and may or may not attend in person depending on the case. The reference is what insurance needs; the attendance is for evidence and forensics.
Most Manchester home insurance expects BS3621 on wooden front doors and 3-star anti-snap cylinders on uPVC. After a break-in, that spec is enforced going forward. Detail in our BS3621 explained and anti-snap locks worth it posts.
Some Manchester postcodes have higher repeat-victim rates than others. If you've been burgled once, statistically you're slightly more likely to be targeted again in the following months. The security upgrades after the first incident matter more than they would otherwise.

When to call us

Call us straight away if you've come home to a break-in and need same-night securing. We work 24/7 across Manchester city centre, Salford, Old Trafford, Didsbury, Chorlton, Withington and the surrounding metro. Quietly, with respect, with the documentation your insurer will ask for. The first night is about safety; the upgrades and the long conversation can wait until you've slept.

After a burglary — your first 24 hours